Pneumatic dispatch system



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. KONIGSLOW. PNEUMATIG DISPATCH SYSTEM.

No. 546,859. Patented Sept. 24, 1895.

AN DREW EGRAHAM. PHOTOUTHUWASHINGTON. D C.

(No Model.) v I Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 0. KONIGSLOW.

PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM. No. 546,859. Patented Sept. 24, 1895.

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NTTnn STATES PATENT Ornrcs OTTO KONIGSLOW, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM.

SPEQIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,859, datedSeptember 24, 1895.

Application filed January 24:, 1895.

To ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO KONIGSLOW, of Cleveland, in the county ofOuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Dispatch Systems; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in pneumatic dispatch systems formessages, cash, parcels, and other matter, and relates more especiallyto a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a central or main station, atube-circuit leading from and back to the central or main station andconnecting any number of local or sub stations located along thetube-circuit with the main station.

My invention consists particularly in an improvement in the constructionof local station employed, and in means for automatically guiding thecarrier of said station from the tubecircuit to the mouth of saidstation, and in means for automatically efiecting the release of thecarrier by the guiding device, as required to accommodate the removal orpassage of the carrier from the station at the outer end of the mouth ofthe station.

My invention also consists in certain features of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in theclaims.

I would here remark that in orderto adequatelyillustrate my invention itis not considered necessary to show more than one local station inconnection with the tube-circuit and the carrier of said station.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan, in horizontalsection, of a local station embodying my invention, showing the same inthe line of the tube-circuit and showing in solid lines the engagementof a dog or laterally-projecting member on the carrier with thecarrier-guidin g device of said station preparatory to the travel of thecarrier from the line of the tube circuit to the mouth of said stationand showing in dotted lines the position of the carrier and guidingdevice at the time the carrier is automatically released from the guidepreparatory to the removal or passage of the carrier from the station.Fig. 2 is a Serial No. 535,992. (No model.)

top plan, in horizontal section, of the local station, showing themanner of delivering the carrier to the station preparatory to thetransmission of the carrier to the main or central station. (Not shown.)Fig. 3 isa vertical section on line 3 3, Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrow. Fig. dis a vertical section on line 4 4, Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a vertical section online 5 5, Fig. 1, showing the position of the carrier and guiding deviceat the time the carrier is released by said guide.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the tube-circuit, and B a localor sub-station located in the line of said circuit, said local or substation being provided with a chamber or passage-way b, extending fromend to end of the station and arranged in line with the tube-circuit.The motive power is obtained in the ordinary manner by any meanssuitable for creating a pneumatic power through the tube-circuit in thedirection indicated by arrows O in Figs. 1 and 2. The tube-circuit ispreferably square or angular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, andthe ends or heads at of the carrier D are correspondingly shaped and fitnicely but easily within the conducting-tube, so that the carrier shallbe properly guided during its transmission in the tubecircuit. The bodyof the carrier comprises a box or receptacle D, that in transversesection (see Fig. 3) is sufficiently smaller than the tube-circuit toenable the carrier to pass around curves in the tube-circuit and to passaround the curves to and from the local station with which the carrieris identified. The box or receptacle of the carrier at the top isprovided with a lid or cover cl for access to the box, and the head atthe forward end of the carrier is preferably a buffer of thesemispherical or semispheroidal variety. Chamber or passage-way b of thelocal station is enlarged centrally and laterally to' form the mouth I)of said station, the opposing side walls b b of said mouth graduallyconverging or sloping toward each other from opposite ends,respectively, of passage-wayb to the outer end of the month, said end ofthe mouth being sufficiently large to accommodate the introduction ofthe carrier into the station preparatory to the transmission of thecarrier to the main or central station and to accommodate the removal orpassage of the carrier from the local station upon its transmission fromthe main station. The side wall 12 of the mouth of the localstation-that is, the side wall nearer to the receiving end of saidstationis slotted laterally, as at if, to accommodate the location andoperation of the swinging guiding-arm E, that at its free end isprovided with a depending member e, adapted to be engaged by a dog orlaterallyprojecting member D on the carrier upon the entrance of thelatter into the receiving end of the station,said dog or member D beingsuitably shaped to overlap the inner side of member e of arm E, as shownat d Guiding-arm E is pivotally supported, as at E, in any approvedmanner from any stationary object-such, for instance, as case G, rigidwith slotted wall 19 A spring H, suitably applied, acts in the directionto retain said guide in its normal position, wherein the guide engages astopsuch, for instance, as the inner end wall b of slot b and projectsinto passage-way b and into the path of dog or member D on thecarrierthat is, the relative arrangement of member D on the carrier andmember e of guiding-arm E is such that upon the entrance of the carrierinto the local station member I) shall come into engagement with member6, and thereupon, by the momentum of the carrier, the arm E be swungupon its axis outwardly toward the outer end wall I) of slot 1), saidmovement of the swinging guide leading the carrier to the outer end ofmouth I) of the station, as required, preparatory to the removal orpassage of the carrier from the station. The outer portion of slot 1/ isshown inclining upwardly and outwardly, as at 11 (see Figs. 3,4, and 5,)and the trend or degree of inclination is such that the free end of armE upon entering said inclined portion of the slot, during the outwardactuation of said arm by the carrier, shall be tilted or actuatedupwardly to effect its disengagement from dog or member D on thecarrier, thereby accommodating the removal or passage of the carrierfrom the station at the outer end of mouth 1). Arm E is shown composedof two sections hinged together at E whereby the outer section or freeend of said arm is capable of readily tilting upwardly, as desired, tofacilitate the release of the same from the actuating dog or member ofthe carrier.

Mouth 1) of the local station at its outer end is preferably providedwith a door or gate I and suitably hinged at one end, as at l, to caseG, that, of course, is suitably chambered, as at g, to accommodate thelocation and operation of arm E and spring H, door I readily yielding tothe impact of the carrier upon the latters arrival at mouth I) of thelocal station from the main station. I would also remark that thepeculiar trend of wall 12 of mouth I) of the local station facilitatesthe passage of the carrier from said mouth to the delivering end of thestation when sending the carrier from the local station to the mainstation, as shown in Fig. 2. I would also remark that the forward end orhead of the carrier is suitably recessed or cut away, as at d", to avoidinterference with the free end of arm E when the carrier arrives at thelocal station from the main station.

An important feature of my improved construction consists in thecarriers impossibility, when switched from the line of the tubecircuitto the outer end of the mouth of the local station, of turning end forend, by virtue of the tendency of the rear end of the carrier tocontinue in motion in theline of the tube-circuit and going rear endforemost out at the delivering end of the station, the object justreferred to being best attaincd by making wall b of mouth I) concentricwith the axis of guide-arm E by locating dog or member D on the carriercentrally between the ends of the carrier and by arranging the parts sothat the path of said member on the carrier and the free extremity ofarm E in their movement together from the outer end of mouth I) shall bein close proximity to the aforesaid wall, by which construction andarrangement of parts any attempt of the carrier to turn end for end atthe time and in the manner hereinbefore described is immediately checkedby the engagement or contact of the forward end or head of the carrierwith wall b \Vhat I claim is 1. In apneumatic dispatch-system, thecombination with the tube-circuit, a local or substation having apassage-way therethrough in line with the tube-circuit, and a carrierfor said station, said passage-way enlarged to form a mouth foraccommodating the introduction of the carrier into, and its removal orpassage from, the tube-circuit at said station, of means whereby thecarrier, upon its arrival at the station, is guided from the aforesaidpassage-way to the outer end of the mouth of the station, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a pneumatic dispatch system, the combination with a tube-circuit,a local or substation having a passage-way therethrough in line with thetube-circuit, and a carrier for said station, the aforesaid passage-waybeing enlarged to form a mouth 1) for accommodating the introduction ofthe carrier into, and its removal or passage from, the tube-circuit atsaid station, of means for automatically guiding or switching thecarrier, upon its arrival at the station, to the outer end of the mouthof the station, and means for automatically releasing the carrier whenthe latter has been switched or guided as aforesaid, substantially asset forth.

3. Inapneumaticdispatch-system,thecombination with the tube-circuit, alocal or substation provided with a passage-way Z) therethrough in linewith the tube-circuit, and a carrier for said station, the aforesaidpassage-way being enlarged to form a mouth I) suitably constructed toaccommodate the introduction of the carrier to, and its removal orpassage from, the tube-circuit at said station, of a dog orprojecting-member D on the carrier at any suitable point between theheads or ends of the carrier, and means at the station for guiding orswitching the carrier from the line of the tube-circuit to the outer endof the aforesaid mouth of the station, said means being adapted to beoperatively engaged by the carrier upon the arrival of the latter at thestation and being adapted to operatively engage said member on thecarrier in such a manner as to cause the carrier to be guided orswitchedto the outer end of the mouth of the station, and means forautomatically effecting the release of the carrier after the latter isswitched or guided as aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pneumatic dispatch-system, the combination with thetube-circuit, a local or substation provided with a passage-way btherethrough in line with the tube-circuit, and a mouth 12'communicating with said passageway and having opposing side-walls b 13converging toward the outer end of the mouth, and a carrier for saidstation, of a dog or projecting-member D on the carrier at any suitablepoint between the heads or ends of the carrier, and means at the stationfor guiding or switching the carrier from the line of the tube-circuitto the outer end of the aforesaid mouth of the station, said means beingadapted to be operatively engaged by the aforesaid dog or member on thecarrier upon the arrival of the latter at the station, and being adaptedto operatively engage said member on the carrier in such a manner as tocause the carrier to be guided or switched to the outer end of the mouthof the station, and means for automatically effecting the release of thecarrier after the latter is switched or guided as aforesaid,substantially as set forth.

5. In a pneumatic dispatch-system, the combination with thetube-circuit, a local or substation havlng a passage-way b therethroughin line with the tube-circuit and a carrier for said station, theaforesaid passage-way being enlarged to form a mouth b for accommodatingthe introduction of the carrier into, and its removal or passage from,the tube-circuit at said station, of a dog or projecting-member D on thecarrier, and asWingingguiding-arm E that, normally, extends into thepath of the aforesaid member on the carrier, and, at its free end, isadapted to be operatively engaged by said dog or member of the carrierupon the entrance of the carrier into the passage way through the localstation from the tubecircuit, means acting to retain said member E inits normal position, the free or engagingends of members D and E beingshaped or constructed in such a manner that member E, upon having motiontransmitted thereto by the momentum of the incoming carrier shall guideor switch the carrier to the outer end of the mouth of the station, andsuitable means for automatically releasing the carrier after the latterhas been switched or guided as aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

6. In a pneumatic dispatch-system, the combination with thetube-circuit,a local or substation having a passageway b therethrough inline with the tube-circuit and a mouth 1) communicating with saidpassage-way and having opposing walls b b converging toward the outerend of the mouth, and a carrier for said station, the wall b of theaforesaid mouth being slotted laterally, as at b, of a dog orprojecting-member D on the carrier, and aswinging guiding-arm E thatextends through the aforesaid slot and, at its free end, is adapted tobe operatively engaged by said dog or member of the carrier upon theentrance of the carrier into the passage-way through the local stationfrom the tube-circuit, the free or engaging-ends of members D and Ebeing shaped or constructed in such a manner that member E, upon havingmotion transmitted thereto by the momentum of the incoming carrier,shall guide or switch the carrier to the outer end of the mouth of thestation, and suitable means for automatically releasing the carrierafter the latter has been switched or guided as aforesaid, all arrangedand operating substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

7. In a pneu matic dispatch-system, the combination with thetube-circuit, a local or substation having a passage-way b therethroughin line with the tube-circuit, and mouth (1' communicating with saidpassage-way and having opposing side-walls b b converging toward theouter end of the month, said wall 19 provided with slot 19 that extendsor inclines laterally at its, outer end, as at N, and a carrier for saidstation, of a dog or projecting-member D on the carrier, the swingingguiding-arm E pivoted to any stationary ob.- ject and composed of twosections hinged together, as at E and means acting to retain said memberE in its normal position, all arranged and operating substantially asshown, for the purpose specified.

8. In a pneumatic dispatch-system, the combination with thetube-circuit, a local or substation having a passage-way Z) and mouth I)communicating with said passage-way and having opposing side-walls b bconverging toward the outer end of the mouth, and wall 19 provided withslot 13 that extends or inclines laterally, as at b and a carrier forsaid station provided with a dog or projectingmember D at any suitablepoint between the heads or ends of the carrier, of the stationary case Gchambered as at g; arm E pivoted, as at E, within said case, andcomposed of two sections hinged together, as at E said arm extendingthrough the aforesaid slot in wall b suitable means acting to retainsaid arm in its normal position, all arranged and operatingsubstantially as indicated, and the free or engaging ends of members Daud E being In testimony whereof I sign this specificashaped orconstructed in such a manner that tion, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 22d member E, upon having motion transmitted day ofDecember, 189i.

thereto by the momentum of the incoming OTTO KONIGSLO'W. carrier, shallguide or switch the carrier along \Vitnesses:

the aforesaid wall 11 of the mouth of the sta- GOTTLIEB GENDER,

tion, substantially as set forth. C. II. DORER.

